Tonight, kids across Texas head door-to-door in search of Halloween candy. But some parents may fear more than a fleeting sugar rush â€“ Halloween can also fill children's heads with scary and gory imagery that's tough to dislodge.

While Halloween's filled with all manner of things that go bump in the night, it also offers parents the chance to address their kids fears.

David Sewell McCann knows a thing or two about talking to kids. His "Sparkle Stories" podcast offers original children's stories each week â€“ including stories that can put confusing or frightening events into context.Â

Trinity between Cesar Chavez andÂ 4thÂ Street will be closed until midnight for Formula One.Â So willÂ 2ndÂ andÂ 3rdÂ Streets between Trinity and San Jacinto.Â NechesÂ betweenÂ 4thÂ andÂ 5thÂ Streets will also be closed all day.

Energy

2:45 pm

Thu October 31, 2013

Letâ€™s talk zombies. Canâ€™t kill them. Canâ€™t eat them. What are we to the living dead?Â

No longer merely the province of Halloween season, nowadays zombies proliferate in American pop culture, from books to TV to film.

Dr. Michael Webber, deputy director of UTâ€™s Energy Institute, says thereâ€™s good reason for the persistence of zombies â€“ and it has a lot to do with how we think about power.Â

Energy â€“ or the lack thereof â€“ is always a sign of post-apocalyptic and zombie culture. Loss of energy inevitably leads to resource wars among the apocalypseâ€™s survivors. From â€śThe Walking Deadâ€ť to â€śWorld War Z,â€ť the main drive is often for fuel, water, or power.

An Austin mother sent out a call for help Monday night â€“ although she was already at the hospital with her son.

Laura Wilson-Swanson had taken her 10-year-old Gabe into Dell Childrenâ€™s Hospital earlier in the week. Laura says heâ€™s affected by an autoimmune disease called PANDAS that can lead to seizure-like episodes.

Hereâ€™s a new Halloween practice some dentists see as a treat: Halloween candy buybacks.

Once the little ones have finished trick-or-treating this year, Austin pediatric dentists are ready to buy back their Halloween candy â€“ Â at a buck a pound.

The buyback program is a part of Operation Gratitude.Â Annually, Operation Gratitude sends more than 100,000 packages filled with snacks, entertainment items and letters of support â€“ including Halloween candy â€“ to U.S. service members deployed in hostile regions.

Update: The House of Torment has reached an agreement to stay at its Highland Mall location for a ninth year.Â "We couldn't be more excited to share what we've created this year with Austin fear fans," saysÂ House of TormentÂ president and founderÂ Daniel McCullough in a press release. "We really went above and beyond in terms of both production and design, and we hope you'll come scream with us."

Original story (Oct. 24, 2012): To encourage trick-or-treating in his neighborhood, every year Halloween-lover Dan McCullough would build a haunted house in his backyard in South Austin.

His plan worked â€“ and soon the houseâ€™s popularity grew until one year it got out of hand. Over a hundred people showed up to the house and police were called to direct traffic. McCulloughâ€™s operation had to endÂ â€“Â in that form at least.

McCullough decided to turn professional. The haunted house that originated in McCulloughâ€™s backyard is now the House of Torment.

Jon Love visited the House of Torment in its inaugural space 10 years ago. Now heâ€™s the vice president of Harbinger Events, the organization that puts on the haunted house.

Austin

7:09 am

Wed October 31, 2012

The Austin Police Department is enforcing a "No Refusal policy" beginning tonight at 9 and ending Thursday at 5 a.m.

That means police will conduct blood search warrants on drivers who are pulled over on suspicion of drunk driving and refuse to voluntarily submit to a breathalyzer or blood test.

2. It'll Cost You:

Police say anyone found with a blood alcohol content of .08 or higher will be charged with a Class B misdemeanor and could face 3 days to 6 months in jail, a one year suspension of their driverâ€™s license and a fine of up to $2,000 for a first offense.

Austin

7:39 am

Fri October 26, 2012

Several events are taking place around downtown Austin this weekend. That means road closures and detours for drivers.

Below is a list of events causing closures:

All Weekend

The Texas Book Festival is back! But, along with all the books come lane closures around the Texas State Capitol. There will be both full and partial lane closures stretching north and south from 9th to 13th streets, and east to west from Lavaca Street to San Jacinto Boulevard starting Thursday at 9 a.m. and ending Sunday at 11:59 p.m. (Map)

Happy Halloween Weekend! Expect some traffic delays as costumed revellers celebrate. Temporary road closures will begin on Saturday at 6 p.m. and last through 3 a.m. East 6th Street from Brazos Street to San Marcos Street will be shut down. IH-35 north and south bound exits for 6th Street and 8th Street will also be closed. For a complete list of road closures, click here.

Sixth Street was packed to the gills both Saturday andÂ Sunday night as costumed Â revelers turned out in droves to celebrate Halloween. Flickr users efohbe and EgOiStE were among those out snapping dozens of pictures.Â KVUE says "tens of thousands" showed up last night.

Two days left until kids will be knocking at your door requesting candy in exchange for not "tricking" your house with toilet paper. But the parties aren't waiting till Sunday. They start tonight and last all weekend.